Calvin And Hobbes in Tamil
October 26, 2010
Sometime back i finished writing the article on Calvin and Hobbes for Tamil Wikipedia. It was begun couple of years back by Sundar. He had completed the difficult parts and i filled up mostly the character descriptions and plot sections.
Writing about Calvin in tamil is more difficult than writing about WW II!. The first hurdle is the encyclopaedic manual of style (If it doesn't feel like watching paint dry, you are doing something wrong) and the second hurdle is to produce a Tamil article that is understandable. I mean, how does one write about choclate coated sugar bombs or Spaceman Spiff and make sense to the Tamil reader at the same time? And then there is the cultural barrier - while's calvin's antics are enough to turn any parents' hair white, they don't come across well in Tamil. A kid who bugs his mother to buy him cigarettes and spouts opinion poll ratings for his dad simply doesn't exist in Tamil mindscape (well maybe in the demented adhigaprasangi world of Manirathnam films). The worst part was translating the theme song for Calvinball. I am no poet (suttalum kavidhai varaadhu) and the translation came out like a cross between Junoon Tamil and Vijay TV's dubbing efforts for hong kong kung fu films:
மற்ற குழந்தைகள் விளையாடும் ஆட்டங்கள் அலுப்பூட்டுகின்றன
விதிமுறைகளும் எண்ணிக்கைகளும் யாருக்கு வேண்டும்
கால்வின்பந்து எவ்வளவோ மேல்
எல்லாவற்றிலும் வித்தியாசம், எப்போதும் வினோதம்
குழுக்களும் தேவையில்லை நடுவர்களுக்கும் வேலையில்லை
என் பேரை வைத்திருப்பதால் இந்த ஆட்டம் எப்போதும் கலக்கும்
I completely understand, if outraged Tamil Calvin fans want to kill me after reading this.
Writing about Calvin in tamil is more difficult than writing about WW II!. The first hurdle is the encyclopaedic manual of style (If it doesn't feel like watching paint dry, you are doing something wrong) and the second hurdle is to produce a Tamil article that is understandable. I mean, how does one write about choclate coated sugar bombs or Spaceman Spiff and make sense to the Tamil reader at the same time? And then there is the cultural barrier - while's calvin's antics are enough to turn any parents' hair white, they don't come across well in Tamil. A kid who bugs his mother to buy him cigarettes and spouts opinion poll ratings for his dad simply doesn't exist in Tamil mindscape (well maybe in the demented adhigaprasangi world of Manirathnam films). The worst part was translating the theme song for Calvinball. I am no poet (suttalum kavidhai varaadhu) and the translation came out like a cross between Junoon Tamil and Vijay TV's dubbing efforts for hong kong kung fu films:
மற்ற குழந்தைகள் விளையாடும் ஆட்டங்கள் அலுப்பூட்டுகின்றன
விதிமுறைகளும் எண்ணிக்கைகளும் யாருக்கு வேண்டும்
கால்வின்பந்து எவ்வளவோ மேல்
எல்லாவற்றிலும் வித்தியாசம், எப்போதும் வினோதம்
குழுக்களும் தேவையில்லை நடுவர்களுக்கும் வேலையில்லை
என் பேரை வைத்திருப்பதால் இந்த ஆட்டம் எப்போதும் கலக்கும்
I completely understand, if outraged Tamil Calvin fans want to kill me after reading this.
Labels: wikipedia
6 Comments:
Kid bugging his mother for cigarettes isn't that foreign, especially if there are smokers in the family, I think it was in some Sivaji/KR Vijaya movie.
commented by 
Anonymous, 10:19 AM
Anonymous, 10:19 AM
which one?. I remember vaguely two scenes associated with kid-mother-cigarette
1) some 1970s movie where mother spoils kid by giving him money for cigarette (naturally he grows up to be r.s. manohar/s.a. asokan mould villain)
2)some 1970s movie where a heavily made up sivaji or MGR is acting as a college kid bugging his mom for only one cigarrette.
1) some 1970s movie where mother spoils kid by giving him money for cigarette (naturally he grows up to be r.s. manohar/s.a. asokan mould villain)
2)some 1970s movie where a heavily made up sivaji or MGR is acting as a college kid bugging his mom for only one cigarrette.
Sivaji is the father and KR V is the mother, their kid asks for cigarettes I think in imitation of Sivaji smoking, Sivaji laughs it off, KRV starts lecturing.
hmm..sounds like thangapadhakkam. where the kid (srikanth) grows up to a smuggler
Is it "Thrisoolam" sivaji acted?
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